Placing Bets
by gilraenstar
Summary: A unique item sends Ed spiraling into a world of nightmares, leaving Mustang and his team to figure things out. Also, bets are placed concerning the colonel and the lieutenant, who grow closer as the fighting escalates. ROYAI! :D R&R PLZ! CHAPTER 6 IS UP!
1. Why Not?

Hiya guys, Im new in this part of town ;) enjoy anyways! This is set…maybe halfway through the series Brotherhood, but before Hughes died…soooo… yeah :D

DISCLAIMER—don't even get me started on this. If I owned this show and all its characters would I really be on a site call **FAN**fiction? No…I'm just as sad as you :'( so no, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist…

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><p><strong><em>Placing Bets<em>**

Chapter 1: Why Not?

"Awww, come on Fuery! I can't bet against that!" Warrant Officer Falman complained as he took note of what he had scrawled onto their new paper. This was the third new bet sheet they had started this week, each before it having been filled to the point words and numbers of money owed spilled over onto the margins, and small pieces of paper with extra information were stapled to them.

Colonel Mustang's team was known for their gambling. Only Mustang himself had no idea of what happened during his morning nap, or when he was out at a meeting. Beyond that, a few others outside the team would place bets on random stupid things—who Havoc would date next, the next person who might be injured by calling a certain alchemist short. They were all silly inconsequential things, and if they were caught by the fuehrer in person, it was doubtful anything would be done in punishment.

Until Riza Hawkeye caught them in the act that very day.

Riza Hawkeye wasn't known for her mercy either. When she saw something wrong, she pounced on it like a cat on a mouse and dropped it on the front porch-the front porch being Mustangs desk. Her sense of humor was lacking too, and if she did have one at all, it wasn't something she showed at work.

"Ahhhh…." Havoc smiled nervously, "Lieutenant… Uhh...we were just…"

"Gambling, Jean?" She said simply, able to see through the smokers lies easily. With no cigarette for the man to hide behind, Riza found it easier than usual to read his expression. Not to say it wasn't already easy. She wrenched the paper from Falman's unwilling hands and wrinkled her nose at what was written there.

"Are you seriously placing bets on the colonel and…?"

"Nothing was meant by it sir!" Second Lt. Breda burst out, now afraid that what they now bet at might just get him shot twenty times by her and maybe burst into explosive flames by the colonel if Hawkeye took the incriminating evidence his way. Picking up the thick envelope with more money in it than she had time to count, she allowed herself a small smile, and takes from one of her pockets, a rather large sum.

"I'm in," She says without emotion. She snatches the pencil from Havoc's hand and scribbles in her incredibly neat handwriting who she was opposing and for how much. When Jean takes the paper back, he gulps loudly at the amount of money she's put up for it—and what for exactly. It's not what the others would expect her to bet on.

As she walked from the room Kain Feury, having also seen it, gave a tiny gasp and called out before the door shut behind her, "Wait Riza! If he did ask, what would you say?"

"I'm not sure," She admits after a long pause, expression hidden from view by a thick strand of blonde hair.

(*FMA*)

_Later that morning…_

Colonel Roy Mustang wasn't having the best of days. He was late for a meeting, it was raining outside, and he had tons of paperwork to do. Plus, Maes Hughes still wanted him to get a wife, and wasn't shy about saying so.

Damn, where was Riza when you needed her? When Ed came in later today he probably wouldn't be able to see him over the large and still growing stack of papers. Finally growing to tired to listen to Maes ranting about the new picture of his wife and daughter he wanted to show him, Mustang muttered a simple, _not now_, and hung up the phone. He groaned internally and laid his head on his desk, grumbling to himself, and settled with trying to take a nap.

The sound of a door being opened a minute later made him pick up his head. Then he stood, so he could actually _see_ whom it was. "Lieutenant. You're late."

"No I'm not." She replies mildly, taking off her heavy winter coat and draping it over her chair before she sat down. "Your clock is wrong. Check your pocket watch."

Roy didn't need to—he knew the clock was wrong—hence him being late for his very important meeting, which he sort have fell asleep during. He just nodded.

When Hawkeye stayed silent and seemed to ignore the paperwork calling her name, Mustang coughed to get her attention, which she initially used as a way to tease him.

"Don't get sick Colonel. It's raining, so you won't be able to start a fire to keep warm." She said it so seriously, that for a second it took him a moment to remember what he actually was going to say. He ignored the playful words.

"Hawkeye. Status on that paperwork?"

Riza didn't even look up. "You should know Colonel. Your inbox is rapidly overflowing into your outbox." She was right. The papers were dangerously close to tipping over. He reached out and barely managed to keep the tower from falling over and going everywhere.

"Well, could you help me out? What kind of assistant are you?" Mustang questions, desperately trying to quickly restack the papers as they leaned dangerously to the right..

"A very unlucky one, to work with such a stubborn man." She mutters under her breath as she takes half the stack and leaves him the rest.

"What was that Lieutenant?"

"I was just saying how lucky I am to work with such a_ useful_ man-,"

"You know my gloves don't work in the rain-,"

"And how everyday your little naps get longer as I do all your work." Riza continued in a monotone as she signed things one by one.

"Hey, give a guy a break—."

"Oh you get plenty of breaks. You just spend them obsessively cleaning the windows. Why do you do that anyways?"

"Uhh…"

Havoc pulls his ear away from the door and chuckles. At this rate, Hawkeye was going to loose without a doubt. He stated this to the rest of the team confidently.

Breda chuckled, "Are you kidding Jean? They aren't really fighting, this is like foreplay to them."

Kain paled. "They aren't seriously, like…"

Falman laughed along with Breda, and clapped the pale officer on the back. "Not as far as we know Feury, and besides, Riza's _way_ to formal for them to be doing anything of the sort at work, and Mustang's just to insecure to-."

The door they all stood by opened suddenly, nearly knocking Jean backwards as it hit him. "You were saying?" Mustangs steely voice rang out in the now quiet hallway. He must have heard the last end of the conversation.

"Nothing Colonel, just explaining-."

"Never mind. All of you. In here, now. This paperwork is due by noon, and we need to get it done or else—."

"Roy!" A familiar voice called.

Mustang sighed and turned back to face the fast approaching person as his officers went in to finish his work.

And now a bright photograph was being shoved in his face, with an even brighter man holding onto it. "Just look at Gracie! And how big my little girl is getting! You know, she's calling my dada now? Oh it's so cute I just explode with-." Maes Hughes practically bounced with excitement.

"You may explode soon if you don't get that out of my face." Mustang growled.

"Jeez, you're not in the best of moods are you, Roy? Maybe it's because you haven't found a wife yet. How is that going anyway?" Hughes asked with a grin, not even slightly deterred. He had grown use to this disgruntled lump of a man.

"Now isn't the best time Hughes…"

Maes snapped his fingers and smiled as if he remembered something important. "Did Riza tell you Edward and Alphonse were stopping by later for an update?"

"Yeah, she told me yesterday. Thanks for the reminder though, Hughes."

His friend smiled, "You got it Colonel, and don't forget about that wife!" By the end of his sentence, Maes was already gone, a cloud of dust the only thing left in his wake.

Roy remembered stumbling back tiredly to his desk, and trying to start his work. At some point he must have fallen asleep, because when someone prodded his shoulder, he opened his eyes blearily and felt a familiar pain in his neck from sleeping at his desk longer than an hour.

"What is it, Lieutenant? Why didn't you wake me sooner?" He asked as he ran a hand through his dark hair and yawned.

"You looked tired, sir." She explained, going very much against what she had said earlier when telling him just how many naps he took a day, "Edward and his brother are here."

As if to confirm that, his office door burst open and there stood Edward Elric, out of breath, and short as ever.

"Colonel, we've got a problem." He managed to gasp out, than collapsed in a heap to the floor.

The day seemed to be far from over for the colonel and his team. In fact, the nightmares were just about to begin…

(*FMA*)

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><p><em>ahhh, I am back world of fanfiction! Yes, I've been gone a long time, but im here now! Yay! My friend got me started on FMA about….a week ago, maybe a few days give or take, and...welll I LOVE IT! I couldn't help but borrow everyone for a while, especially Roy and Riza…why are they not married?<em>

_Enjoy, and please review…Im hoping to post again a little later tonite _


	2. Catching Some Zzzz's

_teehee, two updates in one night! go me! R&R plz! and ty to anyone favorited or added to alerts and my two reviwers :D :D :D :D love ya!_

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><p>Chapter 2: Catching Some Zzzz's<p>

"Is brother okay?" Alphonse asked hurriedly. He kept pacing back and forth and the constant metal clanking was starting to give the colonel a headache.

Edward was currently resting quietly on the couch in the colonels office, and funny enough….was snoring.

He wasn't injured, nor did had he seemed to have passed out or any of the like—he had just fallen asleep. Right after yelling that something was wrong.

One day, Roy Mustang was determined to learn such a trick.

And yet, he was worried. Mustang wasn't one to be easily worried. He was the kind of man that didn't get worried about something right up until things had gone so wrong he couldn't do anything to fix it.

"It think he's okay, Al," Hawkeye said uncertainly. "I think…I think he fell asleep." Nonetheless, Breda and Falman were sent off to find a doctor.

If an empty suit of armor could look surprised, Al managed it. "Brothers never fallen asleep like that before! I mean, most of the time he sort of just sits there for a few seconds and _then_ he falls sideways and starts snoring…but…this is just weird."

Roy remembered suddenly they had a reason why they'd come back for a visit. "What were you going to report? You must have found something recently or…"

"Oh yeah!" Al exclaimed. He reached inside his armor with one hand, holding his helmet in the other, and pulled out a curious little object.

"A dream catcher?" Hawkeye said. It was a dream catcher indeed—the feathers that hung from the ring were limp and ratty, and the weave inside the ring itself was poorly done, as if a child had made it without any help. There was nothing overly special about it.

"Yeah, we found it in the weirdest place too! Brother had fallen into this hole in the ground, and when I came in after him, there was this tunnel. We went further in, and there were a whole bunch of these just hanging in this little cave! It might have been someone's home before, but it looked like it hadn't been touched in ages!"

"And you just took one of them?"

Al reattached his helmet to the rest of the armor, "No. This one was right in the middle of them all and it was like some sort of shrine."

"That doesn't make sense," Mustang growled.

"Wait." Riza whispered. She squinted at the mysterious dream catcher, and then took it carefully in her hand, staring at it.

"What?" Fuery asked, leaning in close too.

"The beads." Riza murmured, "They look like…"

"A Philosophers stone!" Al gasped. "It looks like someone carved up a Philosophers stone and made it into beads!" He sounded almost angry.

"That shouldn't be possible." Fuery stated, not sounding too confident.

"Anything is possible…" Mustang said simply. "It's possible it's not though…" He reached out to touch the tiny bead. When it brushed against his skin, it felt like live electricity, like _power_. There was no doubt. It was a Philosophers stone. "Damn," He muttered. And it just might be the cause of Ed's sleeping problem.

"We found a doctor!" Falman gasped out, running back in with a doctor in tow. Breda wasn't too far behind.

The doctor took only about a minute or two figure out what was wrong. "It's not looking to good," He admitted.

"What?" Al squeaked, "Is brother all right?"

"In a manner of speaking…yes, but he's sleeping far to deeply for anything or one to wake him."

"So…?"

"He's in a comatose of some sort."

Al fell to the ground with a loud thud, making Mustangs headache soar to new levels.

"Oh my, dear fellow…" The doctor called, going to help his patient's brother.

With his help, Al sat up and asked, "Does this mean he might not wake up?

The doctor admitted reluctantly, "It's a possibility, yes."

"Oh, brother…what have we done this time?"

(*FMA*)

_Okay, this is weird,_ Ed thought. One moment he was standing right outside the colonels door, yelling that something was wrong, and the next…he was nowhere. It was just…dark. Complete and utter blackness.

"_Edward…"_ A familiar voice called to him. Winry? What would she be doing here…wherever here was, that is.

_"Edward…my son…"_

His breath caught in his throat. His_ mother?_ Wait…was he…dead?

_"Brother?"_ Al was here too? Frantic thoughts ran through Ed's mind as he swiveled around, trying to figure out where all these voices had come from.

"_Come pway wif me…"_ Not Nina…god…

Ed fell to his knees as more voices joined in, all of them calling out his name, echoes of the past, people who had died, people who were still alive..

"Be quiet!" He screamed, covering his ears, trying to block them out. The pure darkness around his just made things even worse—he felt smothered, unable to breath…

Then one voice came above them all…

_"Am I no longer alone…have the gods sent another to suffer with me?"_

It was all Ed could do not to not to scream again, but he said through his teeth, "Who are you?"

_"Who am I…I don't actually know…" _The voice mused. It sounded like that of an old man, someone who might soon be dying. The voice was coarse, and accented thickly with age. _"You can call me Jaime, I suppose... if names mean anything to you…"_

"They do," Ed kept talking. Whoever this was, it seemed to be keeping the other voices away.

_"Will you confide your name with me than, child?"_

"I am no child…not after what I've been through…" Edward snarled, standing, though there wasn't really anything to do.

_"Are you certain? You seem so…small."_

Ed froze, a grimace plastered to his face.

_"It is no matter…Your name?"_

"Tell me where we are first." Ed shouted angrily, put off after being called short.

_"Well child,"_ Ed bristled at _small_, _"I call this place home now, as I have lived here long…but to you…you may call this The Paradox Lands, a world inside…a philosophers stone."_

(*FMA*)

"What are we going to do, sir?" Hawkeye asked quietly.

"I'm not sure, Lieutenant," Mustang admits. Alphonse walks behind them, his older brother cradled protectively in his arms, trying to keep him from getting wet in the pouring rain. "My house or yours?" He asked casually.

Both Riza and Al stopped in there tracks. Roy sighed, realizing what he'd basically just insinuated.

"Uhh…" Al stuttered uncomfortably.

Riza just sighed also and continued walking. "Mine. There is more room. I'm assuming you'll want to stay with Ed?" She ignored Mustang, who had his head down in an attempt to hide his blushing.

A shot rang out in the streets.

"Get down!" Riza yelled half a second later, gun already drawn. Al quickly backed away and crouched, protecting Ed with his own body. Another shot went off, and this time it was closer then the first, and hit Al, glancing off metal harmlessly.

Riza wouldn't dare shoot so out in the open—too many civilians, someone would get hurt. "Run! She yelled back at both the colonel and Al." Neither men moved.

Instead the colonel stepped forward, hand raised as if he was about to snap and make a fire come to life, trying to pinpoint his target. And it was _raining_.

Riza caught the reflection in the snipers scope half a moment before the next bullet flew fast and true.

She gasped and tackled Roy to the ground. "_Useless!"_ She hissed at him, before dragging him to his feet and yanking on his arm to get him running.

They ran the entire half-mile left to the lieutenant's apartment, and only Al wasn't out of breath when she hurriedly opened the door, all but shoved them inside, and slammed it closed.

"Al," She said breathlessly. "Did he follow us?"

Alphonse carefully arranged his brother on the couch before answering, "I didn't see anyone." Then he added quietly, "Do you think they were looking for the dream catcher?"

Mustang nodded, and Riza now noticed that he had his arm gripped tightly, and that blood seeped from between his fingers.

Prying his hand away from the wound, she inspected the bloody gash. "It's just a graze, but we'll need to stitch or something." She stomped to her small kitchen and retrieved her little med kit, while the colonel shrugged off his jacket slowly, wincing.

"Still the same obnoxious man you were last time you tried to use fire in the rain," She growled.

Mustang grinned crookedly, "Still the same dependable lieutenant you were last time you saved my ass,"

She just rolled her eyes, and started cleaning the wound out a little more roughly than necessary. Mustang flinched underneath her rough administrations as she started ranting.

"You are so careless! You want to be the next fuehrer? How will that work? You'll be dead before you can even force all the women to wear mini skirts!"

"Will not," Roy replied lamely.

"Then it will just be me and the rest of the team, cleaning up after your mess-."

"No one ever said you had to clean up my blood after I was murdered-."

"Oh, no, instead you'll be killed in some odd and incredibly unlikely way that-."

"Uhh…" Al said nervously as the colonel and assistant fought like a married couple, "I'm just gonna go somewhere…that's not here…"

(*FMA*)

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><p><em>ahhhhh, two posts in one day. Don't get used to it…my friend just threatened me if I didn't get this one out too o.O<em>

_uhhh, not much to say, I'm dead tired, and I have school tomorrow sooooo….any questions leave it in the review and I'll get back to you through PM or AN in the next chapter ;) anyone else lovin the royai tough love goin on so far? Hahah it'kll get better, no worries ;)_

_Reviews are LOVEEEE!_


	3. Daydreams and Nightmares

_here you are :) enjoy, don't forget to R&R :) :D_

Chapter 3: Daydreams and Nightmares

"So…we're inside the Philosophers stone bead?" Ed asked incredulously. He'd figured it out fairly fast that the little reddish beads were in fact a philosopher's stone, and that it had some weird feeling of power practically rolling of it, so much so that Ed felt like he could take on even the flame alchemist himself. Which was why he came in screaming something was wrong.

This place, appropriately named the Paradox Lands by the only other live human, was actually not all that bad. Ed found that if he concentrated hard enough on something,_ anything_ really, the blackness around him would shift to become the likes of the place he was imagining. Now, the green hills of Resembool were the landscape, and Ed could've sworn he saw a faint shadow where his home once stood, as if in his mind he secretly wished it still existed without realizing it, and the stone created a half formed image of it.

There was no wind though, and that's what made Edward remember that this wasn't real. He wasn't home, nor would he be anytime soon.

"_Deceiving, isn't it?"_ The old man sitting next to him said simply.

"Yeah," Ed agreed, "but you can tell it's not real. There's no people or animals." He was wrong in a sense—he could still occasionally hear voices calling out to him and would flinch every time one was familiar.

"And what's up with the voices… You'd think they'd be voices of the souls trapped in here…but I can still hear people that I know are alive."

Jaime shook his head sadly, gray hair tumbling down his shoulders like a silver stream. "It gets worse, after a time. This place…it tricks you, makes you loose hope…if you're not careful, your mind will slip away."

"So how do I know you're not crazy, Jaime?" Ed asked with a grin.

Jaime shrugged one shoulder, _"You do not. For all you know, I could be plotting your demise this very instant."_ Having said this seriously, Ed's grin faded, slowly morphing into a worried frown.

"_I assure you I'm not."_

Ed wasn't all that convinced.

Jaime sighed and uncrossed his legs, standing up slowly. _"You never told me your name,"_

"I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist," Ed felt somewhat sure that he could trust this guy—at least with his alchemist name. No harm in telling him that really.

Jaime nodded and started walking away, saying softly, _"Good luck Fullmetal." Here is where the nightmares start."_

Blackness returned to Ed, and this time he couldn't stop the downward spiral.

(*FMA*)

Al never really was educated in the ways of love. He'd never asked any girl out on a date (save for Winry, but then again they were only five), never really had a crush on anyone, none of that.

But he had heard that people who love each other are continuously picking on each other and fighting. Winry and Ed were the perfect example of this. And now, Al considered Mustang and Hawkeye were too, though he'd never admit that to them.

Their constant bickering was annoying sometimes, but for the most part it was just confusing. Why would you fight with someone you like? That's stupid.

Al could still hear them now, even from where he sat at the end of the small hallway in Hawkeye's apartment. Not really paying attention to whatever meaningless topic they fought about, he crawled silently back into the main room and started drawing a transmutation circle in mud he'd collected on his metal boots.

Not bothering to wait a second later, he pressed his hands to the circle and it glowed blue.

The fighting stopped instantly.

Now the two fought to breath, instead of fighting each other.

Alphonse had simply pushed away most of the oxygen in the room, so now he could properly get their attention without shouting.

With just enough air for sound to travel, Al said, "You two need to stop fighting! We have more important things to deal with! Now, will you stop?"

Both nodded rapidly, and Al took his hands away from the muddy circle, allowing the air rush back in like a pleasant breeze.

Hawkeye took a deep breath and sighed, then started to pull the clip from her hair, letting golden locks float around her head like a halo. "I'm going to bed. It's already late."

Al scooted over to sit on the floor next to where Ed lay, content with just watching him sleep.

Mustang glanced around, unsure what to do with himself. There wasn't really enough room for him to stretch out on the floor, which is where he probably should end up sleeping.

After a second he asked, "Sooooo…where do I sleep?"

"The bed in my room." She replied easily, walking into the small kitchen and getting a mug out for tea.

As far as Mustang knew, she only had one bed. He frowned. "And where are you sleeping?"

"Same place."

Roy could've sworn Al went totally stiff, momentarily being an inanimate suit of armor.

Her tea was done by the time Mustang had the ability to speak again.

(*FMA*)

_There was no reason as to why the very realistic nightmares wouldn't stop. They just kept coming—some were memories melded with different experiences, creating a pure hell that he couldn't run from. These nightmares pushed him far past his limits, and it felt like he would sooner die than wake up._

_And Ed almost wanted to die now…_

(*FMA*)

Mustang wasn't exactly going to be able to fall asleep. Not with Riza Hawkeye only an incredibly small half foot away from him, hair down, and looking sleepy. She looked just as beautiful as she would at the office, except seeing her without her hair pinned up, or in anything but a uniform or something somewhat formal.

He liked it.

But he couldn't get over this overwhelming feeling that he would accidentally do something wrong, then he'd bleed out from multiple gunshot wounds before Al could even move.

He had fought against the idea almost immediately, but her argument was solid as the gun she nearly pulled on him when he didn't want to comply.

"You're sleeping there," She said pointing to the left half of the bed as she slid under the covers on the right. Black Hayate had curled into a fuzzy ball at her feet; tail wagging slightly in his dreams.

"Hawkeye…" He started. "I'm not sleeping with you."

"Damnit Roy, do you want to mess your shoulder up any more than it already is?" She reminded him they were going to the hospital once this ordeal was over with as well.

"No," He admitted grudgingly.

"Is Edward awake, and is this subject ever going to come up around him?"

"Hell no!"

"Then get your ass in bed."

"Yes, sir."

And now they were closer than they ever thought they would be. And he _liked _it. Roy could've sworn this was just a giant FU from the universe—being this close to his beautiful subordinate? Definitely must be a god—if there is one—up in the clouds laughing his butt off.

"Can't you relax?" Hawkeye asked in the deafening silence. "We used to sleep in the same space all the time when we were kids."

Mustang considered that. It was true. Living with Riza and her father when he was younger meant there were plenty of times where they'd napped on each others shoulders after a day of exhausting playtime.

"We're not kids, Riza."

She laughed quietly, but Roy wasn't sure why. "Just loosen up. Your so close to the edge you'll fall off."

Roy _was _close to falling off. But that didn't mean he was going to get any closer to the middle. He wasn't even sure he could sleep on his other side without freaking out mentally at the thought that she was right beside him and he could see her. He should be facing that way though, because sleeping on his right side was killing his wounded shoulder already. But he just couldn't bring himself to flip over.

When exactly he fell asleep he wasn't really sure.

_Fire. Everywhere. There were no people, but he heard the voices of children, friends all around him whispering. _

_He was back in Ishbal._

_He heard the constant screams of people dying—and all because they believed in something different then the military. Roy was sick of this already. But he had no choice in the matter of who lived and died. All he could do was kill, and hop[e it was the right thing to do, even though if in the back of his mind a voice screamed at him that he needed to stop._

_But this was different. This wasn't a memory._

And he knew one of the voices that pierced through the rest. It was Edward.

'Fullmetal!' _The Flame alchemist called out._

_Ed came stumbling out from behind a shattered home, looking worse for wear. 'Mustang,' Ed managed to gasp out, 'You have to wake up,'_

'So do you…you've been sleeping for a while no Fullmetal.'

_'Can't wake up. Sorry, trapped here for awhile.'_ _Ed tried for a weak smile, but started coughing._

'What's happening?' _Mustang had to get as much information out of Ed before he inevitably woke from this exotic nightmare. _

_'I'm inside this weird sort of reality in the philosophers stone…I assume you figured that out?'_ _Harsher coughing continued as the boy tried unsuccessfully to keep the pain off his face. _

'We know about the stone…but…'

_'Go. Wake up. You can't help me—more coughing— I'll hold back everything so you can sleep…as long as you promise to get me outta here-tell Al I'm all right.'_

Mustang woke with a startled cry, wrenching himself upward violently. That dream had been so real.

_Tell Al I'm all right…_ Of course Ed would want Al not to worry… But the situation the older Elric was in wasn't exactly a happy one.

Mustang sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair, which had finally dried from the rain, where as his white under shirt was still slightly damp.

Roy lay back down and tried to fall back into a restful state. His heart still pounded after that short terror. During that small amount of time, Hayate had eventually shuffled up in between the two officers. Hawkeye was still sleeping, although fitfully, and Roy wondered briefly what she was dreaming of.

This time when he fell asleep, no dreams came, and for this he was grateful.

(*FMA*)

"Roy." A voice pestered him. He ignored, pressing his face further into his pillow and groaning.

"Roy." Another moan followed.

"Colonel, wake up, right now." This time Mustang couldn't ignore that steely tone in Riza's voice. He opened his eyes blearily and mumbled, "Whaa?"

"Can you please move so I can get up?"

His eyes widened at this request. He lifted his head and realized that he had wrapped his arms around her waist during the night, and the only thing separating them was a tiny still sleeping dog. Mustang immediately disentangled himself from her, crossing them over his chest and lying on his stomach. He had been using her shoulder as a pillow too, he now realized. He hoped furiously that he hadn't drooled at all last night.

"I'm sorry, Hawkeye…" He into his pillow, glad that this position also hid his blushing.

"It's fine." She said quickly. "When I woke though, I nearly shot you with the gun under my pillow before I realized it was you." She started getting ready for the day, then addressed the issue of his wounded arm.

It had obviously bled some during the night—the red had early soaked through completely. After checking the stitches and redoing the gauze, she went off to get her morning shower, leaving Roy to ponder over the incident of their obvious snuggling.

He busied himself with trying to clean out the blood from his uniform jacket, and was nearly done when Alphonse came clanking into the room, "He woke up!"

(*FMA*)

_uhhh…hi. It's me yeah….this chapter was uber fun to write! If you can't tell already, I'm a mega royai shipper, but aren't most FMA fans? XD hahaha, anyways, tell me if Roy and Riza ever seem OOC okay? Don't want this to seem unrealistic or just flat out terrible…speaking of which...I get to write some terrible poetry tomorrow. YEAH!_

_Welll…it's late—as in nite time late, but this chapter is late too…not the point, anywyas! It's like…..nearly midnight where I live, but if you leave me some reviews I'll be extra happy when I see them, then write more! :D :D_

_Reviews are looooove!_

_And another thanx to anyone whos faved or reviewed and such :D :D :D I LOVE YOU! Not in a creepy way though…o.O_

_Nitenite world,_

_gilraenstar _


	4. Stupid Answers for Stupid Questions

_Normally I would warn yinz about swear words, but I'm pretty sure if you've watched FMA—in japaneese _or_ English, your used to swearing by now XD_

_Disclaimer— I am about as likely to own FMA as Ed is to willingly drink milk. _

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><p>Chapter 4: Stupid Answers for Stupid Questions<p>

When Ed finally had the strength to fully open his eyes, it was to the blinding light somewhere above him.

"Al…" He slurred, feeling just as tired as he did before he practically passed out.

"Brother!" Ed assumed the loud clanking was coming from an excited Alphonse jumping up and down. The sound was making his already aching head hurt worse. The sound seemed to bounce around deafeningly in his skull.

"I'm so glad your okay!" Al said happily. "Let me get the colonel! He'll be so happy you're okay!"

The colonel…happy? Ed must've been out longer than he thought. Concussed, maybe? There was no way the colonel would be happy that he was awake Then again, pain surfaced to the forefront of his muddy mind. He moved his head just enough to catch view of his still flesh and blood arm, and was surprised to see that a large purple bruise was starting to form there.

"So I guess the injuries are sort of transferring to reality…" Ed muttered to himself. He remembered that he had broken his arm during one of the many fantasy dreams, along with a few other more than minor injuries.

And he could feel them dully, as they began to appear in various places. Some of them even came from the memory dreams too, as if reliving them in the night had made them fresh and painful again.

A small whimper came from his left and he shifted to find the source.

Black Hayate looked sad, ears back as dark eyes surveyed him.

"Edward." Mustang was walking in from the small hallway now, looking as expressionless as ever. "Good to know you're still alive." The colonel admitted.

"Haha," Ed rasped. "Say that again, I need to cherish the moment."

"Brother, are you hurt?" Al was starting to notice the purple and blue splotches across his brothers usually pale skin.

"Got the shit beat out of me during that nightmare." Ed coughed harshly and winced at the taste of iron on his tongue. "Guess everything that happens is transferred over."

"Edward?"

From his position on the couch, could make out about half of the form of Riza Hawkeye, and if he'd had extra blood to spare, he'd have blushed at the sight.

Roy Mustang tried not to stare—it was obvious she had just gotten out of the shower. She'd slipped on a pair of flannel pants but still had a fluffy white towel wrapped around her chest, and water still dripped down her blonde hair constantly.

"Hawkeye…This your place?" Ed asked casually, trying his hardest to seem oblivious.

"Yes. Good to see you awake, Ed."

Ed smile was weak compared to his usual shit-eating grin, but it was still somewhat reassuring.

"We should take him to the hospital! And the colonel too!" Al chirped, pointing out to Hawkeye that Ed wasn't doing to well, when she could clearly tell on her own.

"What happened to you?" Ed asked, stretching carefully with a yawn. He grimaced as his shoulder popped painfully. He rolled the metal joint gently in its socket frowning when it creaked and protested. Now he was going to have to call in Winry.

"Got grazed by a bullet on the way here."

Running a hand through his tangled hair, he sat up and said with a chuckle, "Of course. I'll bet it was still raining, huh?" Riza had finished getting dressed, and now returned to the living room.

"I hate rain," was all Roy could mutter in reply.

"EDWARD ELRIC!" A familiar female screeched as the door front door slammed open.

Ed froze, and sucked in a breath, eyes wide.

"Hello Winry," Riza greeted, lowering her pistol.

Ed grabbed the plume on Al's helmet and pulled him close, whispering, "Al…Why'd you call Winry here?"

"Well, it's just…we didn't know if you were gonna wake up, Ed…And we really do need to keep Winry more informed. She's always worrying about us…so…"

Ed gritted his teeth and stayed silent. Winry hadn't noticed him yet—she was talking with Hawkeye.

"—So is Ed okay?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Mustang said with a smirk, pointing to where Ed sat.

"Edward…" Winry growled. "What did you do? I get a call from Alphonse, saying you're like, half dead, then I come here, and here you are, totally not dead at all!" Winry was angry with him, but truthfully the relief out weighed that feeling, even though it didn't seem that way.

"Well sorry to disappoint, Winry, didn't know you wanted me to-,"

"I don't want you to die, you idiot! I want you to stop getting yourself in trouble!" Winry stomped, fist clenched around a larger than usual wrench. Both Mustang and Hawkeye took a tentative step back, afraid to get in the crossfire. "What did you do anyways?" She asked, her voice finally closer to a normal volume and pitch. She took his auto mail arm and starting inspecting it closely.

"I fell asleep." Ed replied truthfully.

She was about to give him another earful when Alphonse interjected, "He's not lying. We found a dream catcher, and it made him fall asleep and have all these terrible nightmares!" Al didn't exactly want his big brother to become a sacrifice at Winry's hand

She snorted, "That doesn't explain why it looks like he got run over."

Al didn't go into further detail than, "When he got hurt in his dreams, he got hurt here too."

Her expression softened as she bit her lip and decided whether to keep up the angry act, or to let it drop.

"We were going to take him to the hospital momentarily." Hawkeye said, and the three childhood friends realized that the colonel and lieutenant were still there, and watching them fight.

Winry just nodded, "Okay, I can fix his arm up there, after the doctors do there job—_and_ you drink you're milk."

"Winry, I _hate _milk," Edward whined loudly, clearly unhappy with his luck as of now. First, Winry shows up, then they force him to go to a hospital, and _now _Winry was once again forcing him to drink milk?

The day couldn't possibly get worse, and it had just started.

(*FMA*)

Ed was wrong.

The day could get worse, and fate made it so that it did turn badly. Just his luck.

The doctors were originally focused on the colonel, as his wound had opened up and started bleeding a few minutes after they arrived at the hospital, but then when they saw Ed, they all but strapped Ed down to a bed and started torturing him with needles and tests that were far from pleasant.

So far, his diagnosis wasn't that great; two broken ribs, a fractured arm, half destroyed other arm, minor internal bleeds and a hell of a lot of bruises and small cuts.

"Ed, you really need to take better care of yourself!" Winry said grumpily as she started servicing his automail for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

"It wasn't my fault this time," He grumbled back. "I wasn't trying to get hurt, I just did."

Winry looked as if she wanted to say something heartfelt, but the moment passed quickly when a very loud lieutenant colonel walked in.

"Hiya Ed! I see you seduced your mechanic again!"

If looks could kill, Maes Hughes would have been murdered long ago.

"I did not seduce her, Hughes." He growled lowly.

"Of course not, to many people around! Nice to see you again Winry!" At the rate the two shook hands, Ed was sure someone was going to get hurt. Probably him, with his horrid luck. Al snickered off to his left, and Ed sent a glare his way.

Winry smiled as she sat down to continue working on his automail, and talked happily with Maes as she did so.

"—oh Elecia has gotten so big! I have some pictures," Pictures were flashed quickly, and Ed couldn't help the feeling that he'd been totally forgotten.

"Winry, uhh—HEY!" Winry had just whacked him over the head with the tool was using. "Owwww, what was that for?" He asked as he rubbed the now swollen bump on his head.

"Shut up Ed, I'm talking to Mr. Hughes!"

"I'm sorry, Ed did you want to see Eelcia's pictures too? I don't blame you- they _are_ adorable."

Ed grunted as a snapshot was shoved in his face, but sighed in defeat. In a way, he did deserve. "Where's the colonel?"

"Doctors just fixed him up a few minutes ago, and Hawkeye is filling out the last of the paperwork. The rest of their team showed up today—and I think Breda and Falman were the ones they posted outside of you're door."

As if to confirm this, Falman and Breda both peeked in and gave a grin. "Did you here bout how much money I got from Hawkeye, Hughes?" Breda asked with a devious smile.

"No way, how much?"

"500 cens!" He crowed, fist punching the air in victory, "And you'll never guess which bet I got it from either!" Breda took a half crumpled paper from his pocket and handed it to him.

Once he saw what was written, he practically exploded with joy. "Did they really? Oh, Roy is never going to hear the end of this!" Maes started laughing maniacally.

"Ummm, who did what?" Ed asked, hating to be out of the loop.

"Al let the beans spill about it early, and just now Hawkeye handed the money to me without saying anything!

"What'd Al say?" Ed tried meekly. Everyone continued to ignore him, including Al, who just sat in a corner, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

"Nothing Brother. I don't think the colonel would wat you to-."

"He and Hawkeye shared a bed!" Hughes squealed happily. "Oh, they'll be married in no time!"

Ed grinned in almost a sadistic matter. This day was starting to look up after all.

(*FMA*)

"So what shall we do, sir?" Hawkeye asked as they walked up to Ed's room.

"For now, we wait." He said simply, yawning as he ran a hand through his hair. "They won't release Ed until tomorrow, so until then, we'll just have to do some research."

Breda tried furiously to hold back his laugh as the colonel and 1st lt. passed through the doorway. A snicker managed to get through, but the glare sent to him by Hawkeye was more than enough to squelch the funniness of the situation.

Ed wasn't as intimidated though. As soon as he saw Mustang, he burst out laughing so hard he nearly cried.

"I know you're secret!" Ed said through his maniacal laughter.

Mustang went pale. Than he jumped, hands at the ready to snap…only to realize that he didn't have his gloves. He hung his head in defeat, and tried to ignore the taunting words the blonde threw his way.

Must the world be so cruel?

(*FMA*)

_ahhh! Hi guys! EEEEE! So, idk why, but for some reason, I am really excited. Maybe it was that third cup of coffee? Idk, anywhoooooooo…..i love you guys! So nice to me :') I wanted to thank everyone again for reviewing and also some people who just added this story to alerts and/or favorites :3 I love ya almost as much as Ed hates milk! And that's saying something! Ahahahaha, well, I kno this chapter doesn't have much Royai, but, that's how it turned out a little EdWin. Sorta kinda, but not much._

Another thing—someone mentioned that they didn't think that roy and riza would sleep together—your totally rite, and when I read ur review I was like….'omigod…I totally wasn't thinking straight o.O' anyways, I can just imagine Roy fighting that Riza should take the bed because he's such a chivalrous guy, and she fights back cus he's hurt so they end up sharing ^u^ but that's just me :D

Ahhh, sorry. Long Author note XD I try not to do that, but….oh well, sorry if I wasted ur life XD

Reviews are awesomesauce :D and I love awesomesauce…

Love,

Gilraenstar 3


	5. Snap Crackle Pop

_Hi! sorry its so late! blame my terrible life and computer probalems. This thing conked out like fives times during this chapter, so sorry if it's choppy and doesn't make sense. damn thing has a fan down and out so it keeps over heating :P_

_**DISCLAIMER**_- all i want for christmas are the rights to fma, the rights to fma, the rights to fma...all i want for christmas are the rights to fma, cus i already got my two front teeth

Chapter 5: Snap Crackle Pop

Mustang was just about ready to put Ed back in the hospital ten minutes after he left.

They finally let him out with strict instructions not to exert himself, a prescription for painkillers he'd refuse to get filled, and Havoc, Falman, and Al in step behind him, guarding him.

Now they all sat in Mustangs office, dead silent with the exception of the Fullmetal, who was still having a giggle fit. Al was out running an errand for the colonel, somewhat annoyed by his brother and his childishness.

Hawkeye feared that if the Flame Alchemist got any angrier, something would have been blown up or caught on fire. That something would probably be Edward.

So, Hawkeye did what any would do.

She bound and gagged the obnoxious boy with duct tape and a bit of rope she had found in the colonels desk.

It only took a second to do, and Hawkeye expected that if the Edward hadn't been so beat up, he'd have easily gotten out of it. All he got out was a squeak before she put duct tape over his mouth, pulled his hands behind his back and tied them up, careful not to disturb the cast on his flesh and bone arm. Then, before he could run for it, she looped more of the rope around his legs.

All he could do now was glare. And glare he did.

Riza allowed herself a small smile prior to returning to her normal spot just behind Mustangs desk.

Everyone stared at her, opened mouthed. The cigarette Havoc was smoking fell to the floor. Breda stopped signing his paperwork. Fuery looked at her, eyes wide behind his glasses.

And Hughes, once again, popped in at the worst of times.

"Hey guys! I got some new pictures yest—." He had caught sight of the disgruntled bound Edward. "Uhh…why did you tie Ed up?" Ed tried to speak, but none could understand the muffled words. Ed squirmed against the bonds that held him, but it didn't help. His eyes narrowed and he slumped in his seat, defeated.

"He wouldn't shut up." Was the colonel's curt reply. Mustang silently thanked his subordinate.

"So…you tied him up?"

"I did it, sir." Hawkeye answered.

A look of understanding passed on Hughes face, as if something had finally clicked. "Oh, I understand! So you tied up Ed because he made of you two sleeping together!" The way Hughes said the last two words made it sound like he was talking to a child.

"No, Hughes, we were not _sweeping togefer._" Mustang shot back, repeating Hughes pronunciation. "We just shared a bed is all."

Hughes crowed with laughter, rolling on the floor like Roy had just caught him on fire. "You admitted it!" He shouted happily, "Oh Roy! Can I be the best man at your wedding? I can't wait for—." He yelped, as he now joined Ed on the couch, duct tape over his mouth, and Mustang standing over him with fingers ready to snap. And this time, he had his gloves, and it didn't seem his subordinate was going to stop him.

Instead, Mustang just proceeded to hogtie his old friend the same way Hawkeye had tied up Ed.

Now the two tied up hostages sat beside each other, sharing an equally sad look.

"Colonel, did you really have to tie Maes up too?" Fuery said meekly, momentarily forgetting to call Hughes by rank. Fuery was good friends with the Hughes' family, and wasn't sure that Gracia would appreciate that her husband was currently tied up tighter than a knot.

"Yes, Fuery." Mustang replied calmly. "Now get back to work."

"…Yes, sir."

The occasional squirming of Ed and Maes only broke the comfortable silence that followed.

"We will have to untie them soon" Hawkeye observed. "We still need to discuss our next move."

Mustang sighed. "And I was enjoying the quiet too." He strode forward, and tore the piece of duct tape unceremoniously off the young mans mouth.

Ed yelped in pain and clapped hand over his now sore lips and grimaced at the colonel angrily. "Didn't have to make it hurt." He said with a mad pout.

"Now, you'll be quiet unless spoken too, and no more giggling like a little schoolgirl."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING LITTLE, YOU USELESS PIECE OF—!"

"Brother, you shouldn't yell indoors." Alphonse appeared in the doorway, arms crossed suspiciously, like he was hiding something in his armor. "Why are you tied up? And Mr. Hughes too?"

Al looked back and forth between the two incredulously, unsure what to think.

"I'll tell you later Al."

"Al sighed, and shook his head. "No brother, I think I already know." Al walked right past his older brother and just sat on the couch next to him, making no move to untie him.

"Can't you help me out?" Ed questions, squirming.

"You deserve it." was all Al said in reply.

Ed grumbled to himself angrily and tried to work him arms out of the rope that bound them behind his back. All that did was make his hurt arm ache, and making him fall flat on his face.

He groaned into the floor as Al hefted him back up and set him back into a sitting position, no more comfortable than he was before.

Al was kind enough to let Hughes go, cutting away the rope before anyone could do anything else.

"Bye Roy boy!" Hughes sang, running out quickly. "Make sure you have a kid so Elecia has a playmate!" He shouted over his shoulder laughing as he ran.

Mustang growled and snapped his left hand. A spark shot from his glove, and whizzed after Maes, hitting him right on the butt.

Hughes howled in pain but kept on running, still laughing.

"Was that really necessary, sir?" Hawkeye asked in an uninterested monotone.

"Yes, it was. Now get back to work."

"Yes, sir."

(*FMA*)

It took them a while to get serious, but when they finally did, they couldn't help but feel the sort of grim curtain cast over the group.

Everyone was restless as they discussed the next move. Al eventually released from his bonds, afraid he was going to injure himself the way he was constantly moving.

"Are we giving you a protection detail?" Mustang asked.

"I do not need a protection detail!" Ed snarled, arms crossed over his chest with a huff.

"I don't care if you don't want one Fullmetal. Whether you'll admit or not, that nightmare really took a lot out of you. We can't have you falling asleep again. Next time you might not wake up." Mustang said seriously.

Ed mumbles something under his breath, but if Mustang notices, he doesn't say anything.

"I understand you don't like depending on people Edward. But you have to let others take care of you once in a while," His soft tone didn't get by unheard. Everyone looked at him with surprise, but he continued. "Is Miss Rockbell still in Central?"

"Yes, sir. She's staying with Mr. Hughes."

Roy sighed. "You'll be joining her. Hawkeye will be your protection. And I'm certain Hughes will keep you from falling asleep." He allowed himself a small smile.

"But, sir-." Hawkeye was about to protest.

"I'll be fine Lt. Just be sure to watch them closely." Mustang stood and stretched, grabbing his coat with a yawn. "I am going fr a walk. I'll be back in twenty minutes. Consider it my lunch break."

"Would like some company , sir?" Hawkeye asks, pursing her lips. Obviously she didn't like the idea of him being alone. Even the Flame Alchemist himself had weaknesses, not to mention he was injured.

"No, thank you Lt. I'll be fine.

How wrong he was.

(*FMA*)

Mustang was sick of winter. Sick of snow, and freezing rain, and the bitter cold winds that swept right through him.

But those bitter winds had a way of clearing his mind, and that's why he was out walking. Walking, and thinking of a certain Hawk's Eye.

Not even the wind could tear those thoughts away from him. He was seriously thinking about what Maes had said earlier. And damn, but those thoughts were getting to him.

_What would our children look like?_He could just see a beautiful baby girl, with dark amber eyes and blonde hair…

Wait! This was his subordinate damnit! He shouldn't be having these thoughts! Fraternization laws prevent any of it, so why bother with those thoughts anyhow, it's not as if she'd return the feelings…

_Crunch_. The harsh crack of someone stepping through ice alerted Mustang, dragging him from his inner most thoughts.

Maybe he should've taken her company.

Someone was close behind him, he decided. He kept walking, trying to discern if he was being followed.

Another crunch. He whipped around, hand forward, ready to snap and-.

A young girl, no older than five, stood still, wearing only a bright blue sundress.

Mustang let down his guard, dropping his hand slowly to his side.

The girl smiled, and said sweetly, "Bad idea mister."

Pain exploded in the back of his head, and stars circled in front of him,. He fell face first in the snow, world above him spinning.

All he saw was the bright blue and blonde ponytails of the little girl before everything went black.

(*FMA*)

_Geez, this plot is getting thicker than my oatmeal! Hahah no not really!_

Anyways, I probably have something important to say…but I forget. I had a terrible day today. You should have heard me ranting at the lunch table—I was ranting worse than Ed after someone calls him short :P yeah, I just have this horrid social life, where I like this guy but he totally hates me, so if you have advice, that'd be cool if you could send some ;D

Hope you like it ;)

Leave me a review, cus I loves them. They is like, philosopher stones. :D

Love,

gilraenstar


	6. Hughes Can Be Badass

_Hi guys :) sorry its so late, but i think i have a couple good excuses for once :P enjoy, and R&R, because i need some cheering up._

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Hughes Can Be Badass<p>

Darkness. That was all he could see. Well, when he thought about it, you couldn't really _see_ darkness. It just looked black.

The second thing he noticed after waking up, was that it was damp and disgustingly grimy. At least an inch of water sat idly upon the floor, and Mustang could tell from the smell he wasn't exactly somewhere very nice.

As damp as he was, he wouldn't be able to make a spark either, so no help there. Someone had taken his gloves anyways.

The first thing to do would be figure out how to get out of this hell hole. Wherever said hellhole was. He wondered briefly if Hawkeye had noted his absence. He didn't know how long he'd been gone; he wouldn't expect her to sorry until he didn't show up for work tomorrow. Hopefully he'd be out of here by then.

This was going to be a fun challenge.

(*FMA*)

Edward Elric was tired. Tired of nightmares, tired of pain.

Tired of Maes Hughes and the merry wallet-full of photos he always carried.

Alphonse was having a better night so far, playing with little Eelcia and making polite conversation with Gracia. Winry was also discussing making an apple pie before the night ended. Hawkeye stood watch outside the apartment complex, watching all sides with help from the rest of Mustangs team.

The three were grateful to have somewhere to stay the night so Ed could stay awake, but Maes was more than a bit overpowering.

Which was the reason why Ed hadn't fallen asleep.

At about ten, Elecia finally passed out on her mother's lap, and Gracia excused herself to carry the girl off to bed. When she came back, she offered to make some coffee. Winry decided to hit the hay at about the same time and just collapsed on the bed and the guest room, out cold almost instantly.

At first, Ed didn't want any. He wasn't much of a hot drink before bed guy. But that was before Maes practically forced the first sip down his throat.

After that, bouncing of the walls became Ed's favorite pastime and coffee his favorite thing to drink. Ever.

By midnight he was on his tenth cup, talking so fast that no one could understand him.

"Brother, you do know there is milk in that?" Al said referring to the mug as his older brother ranted about his shortness for the millionth time.

Ed stopped to stare at Al. The grin fell from his face as he peered down at the delicious drink. He dragged his feet as he walked to the sink and dumped it out. Then a smile lit his face again when he poured himself a new one, now leaving it black and adding in the stead of milk, an extra tablespoon of sugar.

He continued merrily running back and forth, talking about random things that popped into his mind.

"So, do you think that Mustang and Hawkeye will get married? They already slept together, what if Riza's pregnant? Then they'd _have _to get married. Then there'd be a bunch of wacko kids running around catching stuff on fire and shooting people, and like, totally destroying everything. I think I'd be best friends with them if that happened though. And, I'd make fun of them for being smaller than me too, just to make Mustang feel bad. Ha! That'd make him regret calling me small!" Ed cackled evilly, and kept pacing back and forth.

It was all Maes can do not to laugh along with him—this little alternate universe Ed just ranted about sounded all too likely to him. He was just waiting for it to happen, because he knew it would eventually.

It struck him though, how tired he was, and decided to at least catch a couple of winks before heading into work tomorrow. Just as Maes stood up to stretch, the phone rang loudly.

Ed was there prior to the first ring even finishing.

"Hello, Hughes residence!" He chirped as if it wasn't almost one in the morning.

"Ed?" A familiar voice said. It was Hawkeye. "Is the Lt. Colonel there?"  
>"Yes. Are you pregnant?" Ed asked without thinking. The caffeine almost seemed to make him drunk.<p>

"_What?"_

Hughes tore the phone away from Ed and said quickly. "He 's had caffeine all night. Ignore him."

"Right." Riza said slowly. "I just wanted to update you. We've seen nothing suspicious as of yet." Her voice sounded a little stiff.

"You're worried about Roy aren't you?" He cooed, realizing that must be why she didn't sound all there.

"I'm slightly worried. I didn't accompany him home tonight." She seems to be talking slower than normal, like she's trying to get a point across.

Hughes snickered. "Do you think you could answer Ed's question now?"

"Maes, I'm being serious." She was. Hawkeye sounded very serious. More serious than usual if at all possible.

"You should've come in. It might be safe talking about this over insecure lines." Now Maes was being rather grim too, which caused Ed to practically hop up and down, wanting to know what was going on.

"I couldn't leave my post. I'm already far enough away from it now. I should be going back now. Goodbye, _honey_," She hung up, just like that, without waiting for his reply.

He looked up, eyes wide. Hawkeye called him honey. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Maes threw the phone at Ed, and the blonde caught, saying quickly, "Whoa, what's up?"

The older man trotted quickly back the little hallway and came out a second later, holding a pistol and a case of throwing daggers.

"What's wrong Mr. Hughes?" Al squeaked, obviously knowing something was indeed wrong.

"Riza wasn't herself. She was talking stiffly, like someone had given her lines to say. She called me honey." He said this in a rush. "It's an old code we used in the war for when a mission went wrong. But I think I know why she called. She had a gun to her head, and person telling her to make sure we thought everything was all right. Someone probably tried to kill her, and since they didn't before, they probably just did now."

The echo of a gun being fired close by made everything go silent.

(*FMA*)

Maes Hughes had never been much of a fighter. He wasn't against it—after all he did fight in the Ishvalan war. He was great at sneaking however. As long as he kept to the shadows and moved silently, no one heard him coming. And this was his intention.

He went out the back exit, out toward where Fuery would've been standing sentry. His heart dropped at the sight of the young man crumpled to the snowy ground in a heap in the dark alleyway. Hughes patted Kain gently on the shoulder, glad to notice that he groaned and shifted.

"You okay Fuery?" He whispered. "What happened?

"Someone…got Hawkeye." Fuery muttered. "Hit me on the head, then grabbed her…before she could shoot."

Maes was impressed. Whoever it was had to be pretty damn fast to get to Riza before she got off a shot. "Stay here," He said quietly, standing straight again. "I'll be back."

And when he glanced up, he saw someone. And said someone, had a limp Riza Hawkeye hanging on one arm and an equally ragdoll-like Jean Havoc in the other.

"Stop!" Hughes shouted, as if it would do any good. The person ran as fast —which was pretty fast—as he could with two people's weight dragging him down. HE did a quick turn, and when Maes made same round, he skid to a halt. The person had shifted a bloodied Riza to his shoulder, and held out a gun pointed directly at him.

"I'll shoot you." Said the person calmly, as if stating this simple fact like it was nothing to him.

Hughes took a single step back, hands up. "Who are you?" He asked.

The person smiled an evil smile. "A nightmare made reality," With that, he was gone in a wisp of smoke, leaving Maes completely alone.

(*FMA*)

At some point, Mustang must have fallen asleep again, because he woke to two loud thuds, and a groan.

"Hello?" He called out softly, wondering if his mind was just playing a trick on him.

"Boss?" A scratch was followed by a tiny flame, lighting up the face of Jean Havoc as well as most of the room…

"Roy…" Another voice whispered painfully.

Roy turned his eyes to the other shadowy figure lying in the filth. Even in the dim flickering lighters flame, he could see red blooming all across his friends chest.

"Riza…" He whispered, horrified.

Things just went from bad, to total shit storm as fast as he could snap his fingers.

(*FMA*)

_Hey, so i said at the beginning I had a couple good reasons. well, the first is the more important of two. One of the seniors at my school was killed in a car accident. I didn't know her personally, but she was a nice person, everyone really liked her. In school the day after she was killed, it was silent. like, literally. in the hallways, it sounded so lifeless, and unhappy. It didn't really matter that I didn't know her, because everyone else did, and i could hear them crying, so i started crying too :'( and I'm not trying to make you all feel bad, I'm just saying this really affected me, and that's why I was so late in my updating. RIP Alex._

_The second less important thing didnn't really help things. :/ I did mention last chapter my relationship problems with that one uy- and i love everyone who gave me advice, its really touching that you guys who don't even know me really do care :') i love ya guys! i'll just say that it didn't really work out as I hoped it would, but it could've been worse I guess :)_

_well, i'll try to keep up with a regular schedule, but if i'm a little late, you'll know why._

_another important announcement...if you really like Royai and you likke my writing styles and stuff, i started another FMA fanfic called The Ivory Alchemist. check it out, leave a review and I'll be muh obliged :)_

_sorry for the long note, but I felt I needed to do a little explaining. :/_

_R&R and I love you all for caring :3_


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